Room for Swedes

I wonder if the powers that be at IKEA have considered opening stores in India. The suggestion seems ridiculous at first thought. Why would a European furniture manufacturer with a reputation for quality but cost-effective furniture come to a country where everything is so much cheaper? Why indeed, but just hold on a minute.

Number one, India is not as cheap as it used to be. Some things are still ridiculously cheap but furniture - good quality furniture at that - does not necessarily fall into that bracket. Let me re-phrase that. Good quality furniture is certainly going to be cheaper here than the equivalent good quality furniture in the west, but first you have to find a really top-notch craftsmen and second, I have yet to see quality, utilitarian furniture of the IKEA ilk in India. At this point in time I should probably point out that IKEA is already in India in the form of four floor to ceiling Billy bookcases in my house, and one half Billy bookcase. I found it preferable to ship my IKEA furniture from the UK rather than go to the trouble and expense of getting something made locally; something that would almost certainly not have offered me the flexibility that Billy does.

The reason for asking the IKEA question now is that we're looking for something suitable to put my daughter's toys and books into. We've been to a number of stores but you know, we just can't find anything that's a combination of well-made, robust and aesthetically pleasing. I had hopes yesterday, when we visited the Home Store (part of Shoppers' Stop), that we would find something, but there was really nothing there. In the end, we've placed an order with a local company, Wood and Wicker, which makes quality furniture to order. We've settled on two small bookcase / cupboard combinations, subscribing to the old adage that yes, they'll be expensive but you get what you pay for and just as Billy has made it across the Arabian Sea, these two items of furniture will also follow the same passage when we move to England (whenever that may be).

But if I were working for IKEA, I might look hard at the Indian market and consider opening up shops in some of the larger metros. If the executives there did but know it, most of the furniture shops in Russell Market in Shivajinagar (and even Wood and Wicker for that matter), will trot out ancient German IKEA catalogues and promise to make you something "exactly like" the furniture pictured. They can't of course which is why IKEA could make a killing. After all, if Mothercare can come to India, sell items for more than you'd pay in the UK and still apparently turn a healthy profit, I'm sure the Swedes could do the same.



Originally published on Blogger on 26th August 2008. A couple of months ago there was a story in the local newspapers which effectively said that Ikea's plans to open in India had either been rejected by the powers that be, or that the Swedes had decided they just couldn't be bothered with the hassle. I forget which. That's bad news for the consumer, but good news for Mr Ali's Speshul Furnitures Emporiam.